Tomorrow's forecast: would you dare?

sounds expensive...i just finished sewing up a tear on my jib from yesterdays 20 kt day.

had similar here yesterday

i left my 5.2 on the beach, even if i could have survived it i probably wouldn't have enjoyed it

took the 14'x12' weta tri instead, it got a real work out but surfing/planing downing under gennaker was excellent fun

pretty much the wind surfers and i were the only ones out there after some lads in a mono went over and after many failed attempts at righting had to be towed to shelter upside down

jib only is fine downwind.. not so fun up wind.
also, beach cat furlers are not set up for reefing like big boat furlers. it's possible for a little while but i would put money on it not lasting long in 30-40knot winds

I'm sailing our SC17 tonight in forecasted 20 knots + gusts 25 with my regular crew. It's a delivery sail to our beach, can't drive it down there atm. So I need to sail it a mile upwind, I think we'll take jib off for this one. Even though the main is huge allready on this boat. The same area as a N5.8 on 2 feet less of boat. It will be awesome!

Do it! Sounds like fun! The hardest part would be rigging the boat i think... I brought my 18 ft cat out into the ocean during a small craft advisory 20-30 knt winds with 3 adults and some camping equipment on board. It was weighed down enough that it wasn't too sketchy as far as flipping over, but it was pretty darn fast. After camping on an island for the night (as we planned to) we got back the next day and noticed that all but one or 2 of the little wires in the shround cables were broken :-O I have no idea how we didn't lose the mast. It was still fun though!

So I need to sail it a mile upwind, I think we'll take jib off for this one. Even though the main is huge allready on this boat. The same area as a N5.8 on 2 feet less of boat. It will be awesome!

I'm not all that experienced as a sailor, but i always thought having a jib aided in sailing into the wind?

That sounds like hell to me. Just getting the mast up in that kind of wind sounds like hell. I think I'll stick with my low-wind days here.

Tom

I would pass. But the SW direction helps keep the waves to a minimum on our side of the lake. Still showing 3-5 foot waves though. Which doesn't sound bad for those ocean sailors, but Lake Michigan waves and high frequency and steep, unlike Pacific rollers. I have done both. In 35+ I hope you have heavy experienced crew and a well maintained boat. Wings on your 18 will make for a better day in those conditions also.

In those conditions you are asking to find the weak link in your boat and rigging. I might be getting old in my mid-thirties, but I stop by 30 mph for wind speed. It stops being fun and turns into survival sailing at some point. Everyone's point is different but we all get there. Lake Michigan is also not the same as doing that on a smaller inland lake. Which I might still do.

I was out this weekend on Lake Michigan, water is still chilly. Be safe.

If you do go sailing, make sure you list the parts you have left on the classifieds!

~~ Hey Damon..... Ya gotta put a "like" button on here. I like Dan Berger reply 😆

I like the last 2 comments, Damon.

I was kidding about a half furled jib. Personally forecasts of 25mph are my limit with full sails on inland lakes.

Finley, I went out Saturday. It was real good. The wAter ain't bad until the crew on the wire splashes you.

Venora wrote:

So I need to sail it a mile upwind, I think we'll take jib off for this one. Even though the main is huge allready on this boat. The same area as a N5.8 on 2 feet less of boat. It will be awesome!

I'm not all that experienced as a sailor, but i always thought having a jib aided in sailing into the wind?

Actually the jib only helps while reaching and downwind. Upwind you point higher on just the main. And you won't get overpowered as fast.

We did't sail anyway, average wind was 26 knots + gusts over 30.

Actually the jib only helps while reaching and downwind. Upwind you point higher on just the main. And you won't get overpowered as fast.

I did not know that, thanks!

Kevin219 wrote: Tomorrow they are calling for 25 to 35 mph winds here in Chicago With gusts up to 40. SSW of it matters.

I'm more than willing to go out when it's honking like that......on someone else's boat!

What's Tami's saying? Something like "above 18 knots it doesn't get any faster.....just more expensive"!

Do it! Sounds like fun! The hardest part would be rigging the boat i think... I brought my 18 ft cat out into the ocean during a small craft advisory 20-30 knt winds with 3 adults and some camping equipment on board

That sounds like the beginning of a story that ends very poorly.

keep in mind most beach cats are designed for the weight of 2 adults. by adding more weight and more wind.. you increase the loads on your stays/rudders/hulls/sails/mast/ etc and .... somethings GONNA give eventually.

I am here in Chicago. Unfortunately I did not make it out (stupid work!). I have not heard if the nut jobs I sail with did. I have gone on days like that. A Hobie 18 with 3 or four (2 trap'd for sure) works well. A Hobie 16 with 2-200 lb guys works too up to about 35 kts. The 35-40 range is tricky as a little gust and your done.

Also, it's early in the season, wait till September/October/November and your mad skills are all tuned up.
I have some video of big days here on my you tube channel...
http://www.youtube.com/user/abnorm58

this one in particular has a 40 kt day in it
http://youtu.be/xD7m8Vrbi6w

altho last years best of is my new fav.
http://youtu.be/xD7m8Vrbi6w as I get the Inter 18 airborn and we had a late season huge wave day.

always looking for skilled crew

2 windy days in a row...2 repairs for me...worth every penny!!! the broad reach going down/across the waves was addictive...acceleration from hell!!! now to find a new dolphin striker strap...FAST!!!

That sounds like the beginning of a story that ends very poorly.

yes, you are quite right... we were pretty careless... but it was an old beater 18ft solcat i got for $600. No way i would treat a more expensive boat like that... we also had another backup boat out with us in case it did end very poorly...

Bill Get the Hotties to sew the Jib 4 U. Keep their weight on their rear.. Trim it doing down.. sheet in to keep the tip up.. Hard to keep the matches dry.. but have a smoke after. Rocken sunday !! Fix it for next week.. Just sayen. Try some of our right coast beer. Changes in Latitude.. Changes in attitude.. Jimmey was on target!! Buffett-ster knew what was up.. H

hal, on really rough days we find that a squeezy bottle of whiskey works out nice...i had too many "pabst-a-rittas" last saturday and this increase in salt water consumption causes hallucinations that interfere with my regular hallucinations...dry bag keeps the bag dry so no prob there. the problem i have with hotties these days is that i sew, cook, clean better than them...i wear the pants in the family!...after i wash, dry, and fold them...

yes, you are quite right... we were pretty careless... but it was an old beater 18ft solcat i got for $600. No way i would treat a more expensive boat like that... we also had another backup boat out with us in case it did end very poorly...

to each thier own but I wouldn't risk my life or my crews life... i don't care all that much about a boat

Edited by MN3 on Jun 21, 2012 - 01:03 PM.

Andrew, Yolo.
Hansen, you should sail on over to Ogden dunes sometime.

Kevin219 wrote: Hansen, you should sail on over to Ogden dunes sometime.

Kevin,
If you want some hardcore sailing I would recommend connecting with Norm and some of the guys he sails with at Wilmette on a day that it is really blowing. It would be worth the drive for you.

Life is ironic sometimes... but you need to just roll with it.

Tonight, after work the wind picked up to a nice steady 14 kts from the south. I went out for a solo sail on the Inter-18... and dumped. Not cartwheels or peter pan... just a soft sploosh as I was unable to steer out of a little gust and was not out on the trapeze yet. Oh well. The wind was so light I didn't get the puff I needed to right the old girl solo. A fellow sailor came out on a sailboard and gave me the mast flip. Rather than head in I kept sailing for about an hour ... always trap'd. Too much fun. The water was warm the breeze steady.

I like going out when its nuking (to a point), but sometimes you only need 14 kts to have all the fun you require. Not to mention I provided entertainment for much of the beach.

ps. special thanks/shout-out to Johnny Fish.

Edited by nhanson on Jun 23, 2012 - 03:19 AM.

I like going out when its nuking (to a point), but sometimes you only need 14 kts to have all the fun you require. Not to mention I provided entertainment for much of the beach.

14k is perfect for me on my cat - i dont need or want more

Sailing in 20-25 or 25-30 is a requirement here (in Chicago) if you want to sail more. In the fall, when the wind shifts (consistently) to the North, you either sail in the big stuff, or sit. The mid summer can be brutal with weeks of 5-10. The NA F18 championships in Racine were a perfect example a couple years ago. I felt bad for those guys, bobbing about after driving across the country.

Sailing season starts here Labor Day weekend. In spring the water temp can kill you, If we are lucky, the summer will give us some 15 kt days, but then fall comes, oh glorious fall. Big surf, steady wind, warm water, cool air. The issue with north winds tho, is you need 15-20 to get over the surf. Sailing/surfing backwards over your rudders makes very bad noises and ends your day quickly. Get dry suit and a radio.

This spring has been unseasonably warm so the water is already int the 60s. The south storms that have been coming up the Mississippi have provided nice wind, but is flukey. 15 kts with 30 kt gusts, so you are constantly in/out on the wire. It's still fun, but more work.

Hope everyone is having a good season.

I love ghosting about in the 5 mph stuff every bit as much as screaming along in 25-30. As long as the wind is strong enough to allow me to beat the current, I'm happy.

Hell, it's the light stuff that separates the men from the boys IMHO.

It's the light stuff that means I get to go home at the end of the day.

Wind here tends to pick up around 9:30-10:00am, then holds steady, often dropping to a breath by 3:00pm. Stay out too late, and bobbing in a general direction is all you got.

Tom

I didn't say I don't go out when it's light... what i was saying is if you want to sail more than 3 months a year here, you need to embrace a few things that are not "normal". It's gets cold, it gets windy. We all love to sail, we can't all live in Hawaii (Tom, really ... Hawaii, what kind of work do you do that let's you live in Hawaii?) or San Diego or the Keys. Think about the poor bastards in Minnesota or the UP on Lake Superior, brrrr. Actually ... fn brrrr.